Chapter 15 anyone have title suggestions?
by Selfish Dreamer
Summary: Basically a rewrite of chapter 15 from Into the Cold Fire, with the addition of my character. If I add more to this story it will probably become a Serena/ Stanton romance.


DISCLAIMER: I do not own Daughters of the Moon. All characters, with the exception of Eva (Evadne), belong to Lynne Ewing.  
  
NOTES: A lot of this is taken from chapter 15 of Into the Cold Fire with changes and the addition of my character.  
  
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Powerful hands grabbed Serena's shoulders and suddenly yanked her back. Zahi left her mind with a suddenness that caused a pain jolt. She fell to the ground. She shook her head, the hypnosis over, and inched back as glaring angry flames howled skyward, then tracked along the coarse soil trying to grab her and pull her back. Stanton stood protectively over her. The power emanating from Stanton and Zahi made the air crackle as if great electrical currents were flowing between them. The small hairs on the back of her neck rose and the air became too thick to breathe. She didn't have the strength yet to stand. The Followers loyal to Zahi crowded around him. They could not attack without his order. Stanton stood alone. Was he powerful enough to fight off Zahi? The air became heavy with the smell of ozone, and then the air exploded violently with a roll of thick thunder. Stillness followed. She didn't know who had won. She took one deep breath and then another. She looked at Zahi, he and his Followers appeared to be frozen in a trance, a shadow moved along the perimeter of the fire. Stanton ran up behind her and grabbed her hand. "Come on!" he said. "We have to get away before Zahi recovers." She didn't want to stay with Zahi and his Followers, but at the same time she didn't completely trust Stanton. Why had he rescued her? "Haven't you figured out yet that I was telling you the truth?" he snapped angrily "Of course not. You don't remember because Zahi hid those memories from you again." She tried to stand but her legs were too shaky. Her head throbbed. Seeing that she couldn't run, Stanton swung her up in his arms and carried her. "Up there." he motioned with his head. "We'll hide in the rocks." He ran into the rocky terrain of the butte, carrying Serena. Night predators scrambled away as he wound in and out of the rocks and shadows. The laser lights and cold fire created strange shifting shadows across the face of the sandstone outcropping. Stanton tripped over a rock. They fell and he tumbled on top of her. "Sorry," he said. "Are you okay?" "No." pain racked her bones. She suddenly realized he was still lying on top of her, his body warm against hers. And she wasn't repulsed, not at all. Her hands moved against her will, curling up around the hard muscles on his back. She looked into his blue eyes, visible in the dark, so startlingly honest. "Stanton," she whispered, and as she said his name a deluge of memories flooded over her, swirling with tumultuous speed around her every thought. He wasn't pushing them into her mind. The recollections were forcing their way back from some dark hidden place deep inside her. He touched her cheek softly as if he knew what was happening. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." She spoke with deep penetrating sadness as she finally recalled how many times Stanton had warned her about Zahi. "I should have believed you." "How could you?" he asked. "He only left you with bad memories of me." She lay quietly beneath him, immersed in the memories. How could she feel this way about someone who had dedicated his life to evil? She could tell by the disappointment on his face that he read her bewilderment and alarm. She looked away. "It takes longer for the emotions to return," he said simply, and then for her to be quiet. "As touching as this is I think it would be best to continue your conversation elsewhere." A woman clad in all black leather materialized out of the shadows. "Eva!" Stanton said, jumping off of Serena. "You found us." The woman, Serena now knew was named Eva, acknowledged this with a half smile and a nod. "Zahi has his Followers scour..." Eva cut off abruptly. A Follower with spiky orange hair and a myriad of piercings had wandered within ten feet of them. Eva her hands and a bar blindingly white light streaked from them through the air and reduced the Follower to a few specks of ashes slowly floating to the ground. Eva cursed. "Well now that I've shown every Follower within a 30 mile radius exactly where we are, let's get out of here." Serena shook her head and blinked rapidly to rid her self of the after-image the light had left. "What was that!?" she asked, gaping. Eva sighed, "Something I should never have used." The sound of pebble being kicked drew their eyes to the left; Followers were swarming through the jagged rocks. Stanton looked to Eva; she gave a barley perceptible nod and then turned to face the tide of Followers. Stanton grabbed Serena's arm and pulled her in the opposite direction. Serena looked back and saw Eva calmly walking toward the onslaught of Followers, in her hand was a sword with a hilt and blade that were an odd bluish-white. Stanton still had her arm in a vice-like grip and was pulling her away from the commotion. Serena turned her gaze forward and what she saw almost stopped her dead. Directly in front of Stanton and was a silvery-blue slash suspended in midair. It rotated open to reveal a lush forest, unlike any you could see in California. As they went through Serena closed her eyes and gripped Stanton's hand. All sound faded away until there was nothing but silence.  
  
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Review and let me know what you thought. Should I add more? This is the first story I've ever put out on the internet so don't be too harsh. 


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